Nathaniel Ru And The Sweetgreen Revolution

When Nathaniel Ru and his college roommates were thinking about opening up a restaurant, they had no idea just how big things would turn out. Sweetgreen went from a local eatery into a national empire. There are Sweetgreen restaurants in more than 40 locations scattered across the United States. Their first attempt at opening up a business is already a smashing success, but that isn’t all the trio are thinking about. They want Sweetgreen to stand for something.

More Than Money

Sweetgreen is an incredibly successful fast food chain, but it’s about so much more than money for co-founder Nathaniel Ru. Ru wants Sweetgreen to embody a set of values. America is a country facing a very serious health crisis with no apparent end in sight. One way to change this is to change the way we think of our fast food. Fast food can offer us convenience, but it can also offer us healthy meals. Changing the way we think of the way we eat is exactly what this chain of restaurants is about.

Giving Back To The World

Philanthropy is an extremely important part of the Sweetgreen culture. Everything from the menu to app customers use to order has some level of social consciousness embedded. The menu at Sweetgreen is kept seasonal in order to make sure that the farmers that provide Sweetgreen with vegetables do not overexert their crops. When customers order through the Sweetgreen app, a portion of the proceeds will go towards important philanthropic causes. Beyond all of this is the Sweetlife music festival where customers can help spread awareness for important causes takes place. There is a real sense of giving back in everything that Sweetgreen does.

Keeping The Dream Alive

Nathaniel Ru had ambitious goals for Sweetgreen when he started. He wasn’t the only startup with big goals in 2007. We can see from the likes of Facebook and Twitter that the year was a big one for Millennial businessman. Ru’s goal is to turn Sweetgreen into long lasting franchise on par with the likes of McDonald’s and other fast food chains. He believes people want something better out of the fast food they receive. Fortunately, it seems as if the public wants what Sweetgreen has to offer. There is a revolution going on in fast food and we are witnessing the first blows.